In his well-received work, The CEO as Urban Statesman, Sam A. Williams--a veteran executive of Atlanta-based enterprises in the private and public sectors--describes the innovative and effective ways that top-level business people have helped their communities thrive. Much of Sam A. Williams’s work is based on his first-hand experience as CEO of Metro Atlanta’s Chamber of Commerce, and his decades-long career at an international real estate development firm.

Mr. Williams also leveraged his experience collaborating with Fortune 1000 executives on public projects to establish the consulting firm, Business City Partners. The firm brings together city and business leaders with the aim of solving community problems collaboratively; Mr. Williams conducts research investigating the long-term economic outcomes for these public-private initiatives.

Additionally serving as Professor of Practice at Georgia State University, Mr. Williams was instrumental in opening the university’s Urban Studies Institute. The institute is dedicated to researching urban problems and identifying solutions stemming from partnerships between the public, private, and academic sectors.